Hey nonprofiteer, how’s your career going? We’re hosting a survey to learn about the state of professional development in the nonprofit sector. Please take the survey to help us understand where there are gaps. We’ll email you the results in the fall! Take the Survey FAQs About the Survey Why are you asking such personal questions? In the survey, we’ll ask for your full name, email address, and whether you identify as a member of certain historically marginalized groups: We’re asking for everyone’s name and email address in case we need to verify that someone is who they say they are to prot ..read more

If you listen to my podcast or follow me on social media, you may remember that in the fall, I shared the news about my recent engagement. Well, it happened… I got married! The Love Story On April 29th, my partner and I got married in Loveland, Colorado — the land of love. We got married at this sculpture called the Loveland Heart Arch, which is the largest “love lock” sculpture in the country. (You know the love lock bridge in Paris? It’s like that, but in the shape of a heart.) We were married at sunrise, just before 6 am! When I sent out wedding invitations to my loved ones, a lot of them ..read more

When I work with nonprofits that want to improve their fundraising strategies, I talk frequently about the donor journey — The path someone takes to become an engaged, passionate donor for your nonprofit. The final step in the donor journey is “leveling up” your donors. What does it mean to “level up” your donors? After someone makes their first donation to your nonprofit, you can inspire them to “level up” or increase their support by continually deepening your nonprofit’s relationship with them. Leveling up your donors is a crucial part of the donor retention process. 7 ways to “level up” yo ..read more

I recently published an article about how to increase donor retention for your nonprofit. But why is donor retention so important for your fundraising plan? Here are 3 reasons I encourage nonprofit leaders to invest in donor retention: 1. For every multi-year donor you lose, you need 3-4 new donors to make up the loss in funding. According to Blackbaud, one of the leading tech providers for nonprofit fundraisers, donor retention is crucial for maintaining stable funding. In fact, they project that every time you lose a multi-year donor (i.e., someone who has donated to your nonprofit for two o ..read more

Last week, I published an article about new donors and how they typically make their first gift to a nonprofit after a friend, family member, or colleague asks them to support the organization. If most new donors find your nonprofit through a friend, family member, or colleague, it seems like you need to empower those connectors to share your mission… But how do you do that? Enter the Friend-Raiser. What is a FRiend-raiser? A “friend-raiser” is a campaign, an event, or even a simple conversation that has the goal of attracting new supporters to your nonprofit. Unlike a fundraiser, which has th ..read more

There are infinite articles, videos, and podcast episodes about how to attract new donors to your nonprofit. (In fact, I released a podcast episode on this very topic and it was very fun to make!) But do you know why people are motivated to give their first gift to a nonprofit they’ve just learned about? Understanding the mindset of new donors can help your nonprofit attract new supporters. 3 key statistics to know about first-time donors For the purposes of this article, we’ll say someone is a first-time donor or a new donor if they have given their first gift to a nonprofit in the past 12 mo ..read more

If you’ve ever heard the term “donor journey,” you may be confused about what it means — especially if you’ve only heard it in the context of the tech world. But the concept of a donor journey is actually really simple! Definition of a Donor Journey for nonprofits A donor journey refers to the process of how a new donor becomes engaged with your nonprofit. In other words, a donor journey outlines the steps someone must take to become an engaged donor for your nonprofit. If you’ve ever seen an image depicting a donor journey, you’ve probably seen something in the shape of a circle (called the ..read more

Earlier this week, a school shooting devastated Nashville, the city I called home for ten years. Three nine-year-olds were shot to death, and so were three of their school’s staff members. I’ve been urging people to call their lawmakers to ask them to pass legislation that can end the gun violence epidemic in our country. This made me think about all the nonprofits I see on social media who urge their followers to call lawmakers. Some of those social media posts are awesome and empowering, but others fall flat. So I wanted to share my advice on how to actually get your supporters to call their ..read more

79% of nonprofit leaders are white. Although 80% of white nonprofit professionals believe this lack of diversity in nonprofit leadership is a big problem, many also struggle to understand how they can meaningfully contribute to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) movement. In this article, I want to make some actionable suggestions. But first, it may be helpful for me to introduce myself so you understand the lens I’m looking through: I’m a light-skinned, mixed-race, middle-class woman who works as a nonprofit consultant. In a lot of ways, I’m part of the majority. When people — especia ..read more

Y’all. Three children died today. ? What happened during the Nashville shooting on March 27, 2023? A woman armed with at least two assault-style rifles and a handgun went into a Nashville elementary school and killed three children and three adults before she was killed by the police. As I write this article at 2:40 pm on March 27, no motive has been reported yet. But… Does it matter? My body feels heavy and my throat feels tight as I type these words: Three. Children. Died. Here’s what I’ll cover in this article: My response to those who are against gun safety legislation Facts about gun ..read more